Tuesday nights have been damp affairs and last night was no exception. The weather was great, 62 degrees and damp soft grass..............until............the heavens opened up with 6 reps to go. Sometimes it is even more fun in the rain[1] but with Dr. Simons running off silly about a little 'ol lightning we did a hasty Lactate interval and beat it home. The 17 bounders got in a faster paced effort with the Mark Ernst Perceived Exertion Scale (MEPES) a little on the hard side. Aside from the rain and my new hernia repair (my bikini modeling days are over) we had a good solid effort.
 
A few notes:
  • Take advantage of the wet grass. It has a natural glide that dry surfaces do not.
  • Next week we to incorporate proper foot and arm angles. I would see one or the other but not always both.
  • Foot stance. Starting each stroke from an unbalanced dynamic position. Not a comfortable position.
  • Expect to see a new and dynamic triceps drill. Love is too strong a word for this.
The good news was the reps while slightly lower (26) where at good intensity and at a much faster pace. faster efforts place a greater emphasis on rate of recovery.  Rate of recovery is probably the best determiner of fitness an athlete can have as well as a indicator of the end of an effective workout. Bounding at these intensities can produce effort that is difficult to duplicate [and dangerous] on rollerskis and hard to do by yourself while running or biking. 
 
We start at 5:27pm next week. Bring Dry Clothes.
 
[1] Caldwell on Cross Country was wrong.